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He splurged on advertising, on which he now spends an estimated $6,500,000 a year. At first, other brewers thought his ads rather odd; they violated all the rules. Since the demand for beer is biggest in summer, Miller saw little reason in advertising then. He did most of his advertising in the fall and winter, as a result built up an almost even year-round demand. While other brewers did about 40% of their business in cool months, Miller did 45%. Though some still thought of beer as a lowbrow drink, Miller went after the fashionable trade, is the only brewer to advertise in Vogue.
Ground Gained. This emphasis on quality was increased by the clear, sloping High Life bottle, whose tapering neck and paper collar suggested a split of champagne. Other brewers used dark bottles to protect their beer from light, but Miller did not worry about light spoiling his beer. He argued that age, not light, is what makes beer deteriorate, kept his fresh by seeing that no dealer stocked more than he could quickly sell. Although all beer sales have recently been inching up by about 2% a year, in five years High Life chalked up the industry's biggest single gain of 275% in sales.